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4CHILDREN CALLS FOR MORE TO BE DONE TO HELP FAMILIES “ON THE EDGE”

The charity 4Children has issued a statement supporting the findings of the latest Netmums survey, which says 70 per cent of families are "on the edge" of surviving.

Anne Longfield OBE, chief executive of 4Children, said the findings show just how hard the government's austerity measures are affecting normal families.

She said: "The shocking finding that seven out of 10 families are just waiting to be pushed over the brink into crisis makes it clear that successive government measures are having a cumulative effect on families which in some cases could lead to catastrophe. Government policies such as freezing the general level of working tax credits and the reduction in its childcare support component - together with historically high inflation and stagnant wages - are not just forcing families to economise, they are pushing families to the brink of crisis.

"With one in six parents being treated for stress, it is clear that the present economic climate is taking a heavy toll on the very fabric of family life. Our own Give Me Strength campaign has highlighted the increasingly worrying issue of serious debt or bankruptcy among ordinary families within the last year - one of a number of problems that can lead to family conflict and breakdown.

"Unless the government takes immediate action to ensure that struggling families have the support they need and, in the long term, step up their efforts to stimulate growth in the economy and increase jobs, they will be allowing a ticking time bomb to go off, with untold consequences for family life in Britain."